Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is reportedly set to try and snap up Bayern Munich defender Holger Badstuber on a six-month loan deal in the January transfer window.
Out of the top six sides in the Premier League, City currently have the second-worst defensive record having conceded 22 goals in 20 games.
For a side chasing the title, that simply isn’t good enough, and Guardiola has certainly had his issues so far this season with the likes of John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi not always convincing.
According to The Sun, he might be about to fix that problem with a temporary swoop for Badstuber whom he knows well having worked with the 27-year-old during his time in Bavaria.
The German international has just six months remaining on his current deal and so it may well be an audition in many ways to earn a longer contract, but he will have to show that he has overcome his injury woes after spending a significant amount of time out of action.
Badstuber missed the entire 2013/14 campaign after suffering a serious knee injury, and made just 10 Bundesliga appearances the following season and just seven last year.
Nevertheless, given his versatility, strength in the air and ability to build from the back, he arguably ticks every box required by Guardiola, and the Spanish tactician will be hoping that he can bring him in to aid his side’s push for silverware this season.
Badstuber has made three appearances so far this season, completing 90 minutes against Rostov FC in the Champions League. However, it was a game that the German giants lost 3-2, with some clear signs of rust from the defender and so there will be an element of risk involved in this deal if Guardiola chooses to take him to Manchester.